military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) (04/29/89)
From: military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) In article <6034@cbnews.ATT.COM> sw@cbnewsl.ATT.COM (Stuart Warmink) writes: > >No sea-skimming missile hits below the waterline, so it is unlikely to sink >a ship that way. They *do* home in towards the central command & control >centers as stated by a previous poster. The newest Naval Institute "Proceedings" features an article on Operation Praying Mantis, the action we took in retaliation to the mining of USS Samuel B. Roberts by the Iranian Navy. The article was written by Cpt. Bud Langston and Lt. Cmdr. Don Bringle, both of the US Navy. The operations, BTW, commenced on April 14th, 1988. They report on the sinking of the Saam-class frigate Sahand. An A-6 made a low, fast pass to identify the ship, and drew AA fire, both gunnery and IR missiles. After evading the fire with the help of flares, the A-6 retaliated with a Harpoon, a laser-guided bomb, and Skipper weapons (which, BTW, I've never heard of. Explanations ? ), leaving Sahand dead in the water and "engulfed in flames." The battle group commander launched a carrier strike after the initial identification; it consisted of six A-7's and an A-6 (!), carrying Walleyes, Skippers, and 1000-lb bombs. This group's first attack (a Harpoon from an A-6) coincided with a Harpoon launch from USS Joseph Strauss (DDG-16). "All the Harpoons, three of the Skippers, one Walleye, and several 1,000-pound bombs scored direct hits. The Sahand sank a few hours later." During this attack, a second Saam-class ship, the Sabalan, was detected. Two A-6's investigated, again drawing AA fire. A single Mk-82 500-lb laser-guided bomb stopped Sabalan DIW (went right down the stack). More A-6's were dispatched, but a command decision was made to allow Sabalan to be towed back to port. A few things strike me (as one unfamiliar with modern naval combat). First, (and not to harp (or is that "harpoon" 8-) on a different issue), unarmored ships, at least, frigates, don't last long in a modern battlefield. In both cases, a single hit removed the operational effectiveness of the frigates. On the other hand, modern air weaponry seems to have difficulty *sinking* enemy ships, obviously a result of having no torpedo armament. This, of course, is secondary to removing the ship's offensive capability. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Bill Thacker moderator, sci.military military@att.att.com (614) 860-5294 "War is a matter of vital importance to the State; the province of life or death; the road to survival or ruin. It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied." - Sun Tzu
maniac%garnet.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (George W. Herbert) (05/03/89)
From: maniac%garnet.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (George W. Herbert) In article <6068@cbnews.ATT.COM> military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) writes: >retaliated with a Harpoon, a laser-guided bomb, and Skipper weapons (which, >BTW, I've never heard of. Explanations ? ), leaving Sahand dead in the Skipper is a command-guided rocket, larger than a a bullpup. Based on a 1000 lb bomb with a rocket on the back or some such.